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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Today I have a very special reader requested manicure to share with you. A few days ago I got a request for a manicure inspired by the outfit of Violet Beauregard from the original Willy Wonka movie. I pried a little as to the significance of this particular movie character for her, partly because I was curious and partly to draw inspiration. The answer was simple, she has autism, she loves Violet, and these happen to be her school colors. Enough said!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Today I would like to show you three Nicole by OPI lacquers created in collaboration with Kellogg's Special K to encourage women to “show off your confidence with color.” The shades are available with proof of purchase of eligible Special K products. I had fun creating color blocking nail art with the three shades and of course couldn't resist taking a photo with my favorite Special K Red Berries cereal...

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Today's Sunday Stamping challenge in Adventures in Stamping is to create a manicure inspired by a favorite pair of shoes. None of the shoes that I own have stampable (let's pretend that's a word) patterns, so I resorted to finding a "favorite" pair online. Luckily, nowhere in the challenge did it mention that I had to own the pair of shoes that inspired me. Since my nails are long enough to flash their underside that could only mean one thing...

Friday, April 26, 2013

I was recently given the opportunity to try out and review a product called Liquid Palisade. If you have not heard of it before, it is a product that has been described as painter's tape for the nails. After getting the chance to play around with it, I think it is so much more than that...

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

This is a manicure that I wore a while ago, but am only now getting the chance to show it to you. Truth be told I'm sneaking it in here because I'm a bit behind on swatching what I had intended to show you today. Instead I hope to distract you with this sweet blue number...

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I would like to show you a manicure that I have been wearing this past weekend. It was inspired by this beautiful manicure created by Cutie-cles. I instantly fell for the contrast of textured polish against the smooth, sharp gold lines and added the manicure to my 'must try' list. Rather than copy the manicure, I put my own twist on it and used the new OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand lacquers. Staying within the Bond family, I combined the two Bond Girls with a gold beauty from the Skyfall collection...

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Tomorrow is Earth Day, so quite appropriately it is the theme for today's Sunday Stamping challenge in Adventures in Stamping. I didn't have a chance to create something specifically for the challenge because I'm having a fun weekend with a cousin visiting from out of town. I do, however, have a manicure to show you that I created recently and I think it is perfect for the Earth Day theme with nature and animals...

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Today Wacky Laki turns two! This past year has flown by way too fast and I wanted to take a few moments to thank everyone that has stopped by, looked at my nail art and taken the time to comment! It means more to me than you can imagine and without all of you, I wouldn't keep this blog up. So a BIG THANK YOU to all and I hope you keep coming back, visiting and saying hello :)

Friday, April 19, 2013

Does your driver’s license have that little heart on it indicating that you are a registered organ donor? If not, this is the month to get registered. April is National Donate Life Month.

In celebration of National Donate Life Month, OPI Nail Polish has teamed up with Taylor’s Gift to release a limited edition nail color called Taylor Blue to help raise awareness about the life saving gift of organ donation.

Taylor Storch was a vibrant young lady whose life was cut short by a tragic skiing accident on a family vacation in Colorado. Her family did what they believe she would have wanted by donating her organs to people on various waiting lists. They also started the Taylor’s Gift Foundation to help raise awareness about the gift of organ donation.

You can help by purchasing OPI’s limited edition Taylor Blue and posting a picture of your painted nails to your favorite social media site with the tags #TaylorBlue and @TaylorsGift. Help Taylor’s Gift paint it forward.

San Francisco by OPI brings street chic style with West Coast flair to nails and toes for Fall/Winter 2013. This new collection features a palette ranging from sky and sea-colored hues of blues and gray to reds, burgundies and browns inspired by some of the city’s most iconic elements – Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge and the Embarcadero. This fall mélange is mixed with texture, seen in three new Liquid Sand™ nail lacquers in earthy hues of taupe, blue and gray: It’s All San Andreas’s Fault, Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! and Alcatraz…Rocks. Liquid Sand lacquers dry to a textured, matte finish, infused with reflective sparkle.

“To me, the women of San Francisco and the city itself really epitomize today’s multifaceted beauty consumer,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “San Francisco offers a European flair with distinct West Coast attributes. These elements inspired a collection of urban chic nail lacquer shades, thanks to the sophisticated combination of high fashion and eclectic street style.

“With twelve colors ranging from moody grays and blues to garnet and ruby jewel tones, these lacquers are designed to accessorize fall’s hottest looks, from military details to winter whites,” continues Weiss-Fischmann. “On fall runways, models were seen wearing luxurious textures from head to toe. The three new Liquid Sand nail lacquers incorporate the texture trend through nails, with rich matte finishes in colors to complement the season’s fashion.”

San Francisco by OPI includes the following shades:

A-Piers to Be Tan

I shore do like this chocolaty tan.

Dining al Frisco

Just feast your eyes on this fresh-air blue!

Haven’t the Foggiest

Can’t tell you why I love this misty gray...I just do!

Peace & Love & OPI

This holographic sage and eggplant is far out!

Keeping Suzi at Bay

There’s no holding back this assertive navy blue.

Incognito in Sausalito

You better keep this almost-black blue under wraps.

Lost on Lombard

Oh garn-et! I’m all turned around!

I Knead Sour-Dough

Are you bready to wear this toasty warm brown?

Muir Muir on the Wall

This trailblazing plum is the fairest of all.

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Good golly, Miss Trolley, this rich burgundy takes me away!

Embarca-Dare Ya!

Betcha can’t pass up this marvelous magenta.

First Date at the Golden Gate

You and me and this shimmery ruby make three.

It’s All San Andreas’s Fault

I’d move mountains to get this textured earthy taupe!

Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!

Dog-gone it...fetch me that textured matte blue!

Alcatraz...Rocks

There’s no escaping this arresting textured gray.

San Francisco nail lacquer shades each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat. San Francisco by OPI will be available August 7, 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

ABOUT OPIAs the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Hooray for Earth Day! Once again, Zoya is helping you do a little spring cleaning with the return of the Earth Day Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* for 2013. Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE (Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) and exchange it for a greener alternative - long lasting, award winning, healthy Zoya Nail Polish bottles!

Now's the perfect time to make the switch to an eco-chic beauty routine! From April 19, 2013 - April 26, 2013 (11:59PM EST), exchange your old, unwanted nail color for toxin-free ZOYA Nail Polish for only $4 per bottle plus shipping and handling fees. Rest assured - ZOYA will properly dispose of your old polish.Here's all you need to do!

Go to www.zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like (excludes all Zoya PixieDust™ Collection shades) and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salon accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles.)

Apply the code (copy and paste for best results):ZOYAEARTH2013

Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).

SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! HOORAY!

Once you get your order
Here's where the exchanging* happens...

Ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you ordered 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes). Please check with your carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish.

Include a copy of your order.

To clarify the exchange: You do not have to send us the exact amount of bottles that you are ordering. You can send any quantity up to that amount. You can also donate. If you decide you don't want to do either, it's ok "Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish" we will still love you and will send the Zoya polishes... we'll just send you on a guilt trip for a while :)

Ship Your Old Nail Polish To:
Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA
Once we receive your polish, we do the rest! It’s that simple!IMPORTANT!
The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand). We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!

*Offer valid online at www.zoya.com only. Offer expires on 4/26/2012 at 11:59PM EST. Continental US ONLY. Not valid with any other codes, coupons or promotions. Shipping and handling fees apply. Consumer accounts must exchange a minimum of 6 polishes with a 24 bottle maximum. Salon accounts must exchange at least 12 with a maximum of 48 bottles. Polish can be from any brand EXCEPT Zoya, Qtica or Nocti and can be exchanged for in-stock .5oz Zoya Nail Polish. Excludes all Zoya PixieDust™ Collection shades. Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish. Zoya Exchange code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors or errors associated with declined credit cards. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 6 weeks for shipping and processing. Art of Beauty, Inc. reserves the right to remove any polish that is out of stock from your order. You will not be charged for this polish. Backordered polish is not included in this promotion.

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I am so excited to be showing you the beautiful OPI Bond Girls collection today. I fell in love with textured polish the moment that I tried my first Liquid Sand and OPI continues to impress me with more gorgeous shades. This collection features six Liquid Sand lacquers and offers a lot of variety of colors from light to dark, pearly, glittery and metallic. A bit of everything in addition to the fun textured matte finish...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

I have a some funky nail art to show you today, featuring the lovely Shimmer Karen glitter. There is just something about taking a sweet pink/lavender glitter and going a bit wild with it. What better way to go wild than by creating a pink glittery zebra mixed mani?...

Monday, April 15, 2013

I think various rhinestone and studs can be a really fun way to accent a manicure. Incorporating them into the stamping pattern is on of my favorite ways to wear them. Today I would like to show you a manicure featuring aluminium plated nail studs from the BornPrettyStore.com...

Sunday, April 14, 2013

For today's Sunday Stamping challenge in Adventures in Stamping, the theme is Spring Colors. I struggled with such a broad theme as it leaves room for so many possibilities. I finally settled on something pink and floral, leaving me with a few ideas that will need to be tried at a later time. I also wanted to try stamping with the China Glaze holos so I chose two pink shades from the Hologlam collection to work with. Having heard that they stamp well, I had to test them out for myself...

“These shades are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Co-Founder & Artistic Director. “By combining groundbreaking texture technology with some of the hottest trends including matte and shimmer finishes, Nicole by OPI has created a new line of lacquers for cutting-edge manicures. Worn without top coat, Gumdrops lacquers dry to a textured matte finish to give nails a “sugar” coated appearance.

Gumdrops shades include:

I Lilac Gumdrops

But I love this sugar-frosted lavender.

My Cherry Amour

You're the one magenta I adore.

Candy is Dandy

This sweet pink is my favorite guilt-free treat.

Cinna-man of My Dreams

I dream in shades of this warm spice pink.

Blue-Berry Sweet on You

I’ll be true to this berry blue hue.

A-Nise Treat

This shimmery licorice is everyone's favorite

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat to achieve the unique textured matte finish.

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. This limited edition collection will be available beginning May 2013 for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart (May 2013), CVS (June 2013), Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, Ulta, H-E-B, and Duane Reade locations (August 2013), In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada (July 2013), Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug (August 2013).

About Nicole by OPI: Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Disclaimer: All information and images in this post provided by the manufacturer or their PR **

Friday, April 12, 2013

Whenever there is a part one, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that part two will follow closely behind. To avoid breaking such rules, I would like to show you the second half of the China Glaze Hologlam collection. This half is made up of cooler blue and gray shades in contrast to the warmer shades of the first half. I can't think of any other time when a collection had so many shades of a particular color, but I like it. Can anyone else picture an easy ombre manicure with the four blues?...

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Today I have part one of the China Glaze Hologlam collection to share with you. This is the warmer half of the collection with a peach, two pinks, lilac and purple shades plus a green tossed in to keep things interesting. I can't help but get distracted as I try to catch the light and see the rainbow..

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I recently received a wonderful package from Cindy, the mastermind behind Shimmer Polish. She sent me some of her beautiful glitter bombs to show you and I intend to do just that. I will slowly be swatching them and hopefully creating some nail art to share with you. Today I would like to start with Shimmer Julie...

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Time sure flies when you are having fun and so it is once again time for the monthly Polish Days challenge. What I love about Polish Days challenges is that they are always... well challenging. This month the theme is the 7 Deadly Sins. We are all guilty of at least one so choosing which to fess up to was easy. Trying to express it in a manicure was a challenge.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Today I would like to show you the gorgeous Color Club Halo Hues collection that I have been swatching and wearing for the past few weeks. These are the Spring 2013 release. They are deeper and brighter shades than the 2012 release (which I have yet to swatch). Two of these lovelies were sent to me for review, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to live without the rest, so here they all are...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

It is once again time for the Sunday Stamping in the group Adventures in Stamping. This week the challenge is to stamp over an orange base. It gave me the perfect opportunity to create a manicure I've been thinking about for a while. I even bought brown flocking powder specifically for this little guy. For those of you from Russia or the former Soviet Union, he needs no introduction, but for those who have not seen him before, his name is Cheburashka. He is a sweet and lovable children's cartoon character...

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I showed you the color changing Ruby Wing Poppy lacquer on Monday and even though it was April 1st, it was no joke, Poppy really changes color from a bright raspberry red to a deep burgundy wine color. I wanted to play with the effect a bit and one of my ideas was to have disappearing or rather appearing stamping...

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Today is Wold Autism Awareness Day with the Light it Up Blue campaign to raise awareness. Although I meant to post this earlier in the day, hopefully it better late than never. I would like to show you how I lit up my nails blue in support of the great cause...

Monday, April 1, 2013

I got a chance to play with some fun Ruby Wing color changing polish over the sunny weekend and I'm excited to show you my swatches. Ruby Wing is a line of color changing polish from the same manufacturer that brings us Color Club. This is my first experience with the brand and I was hooked after reading the tag line, "if nothing ever changed there'd be no butterflies". How sweet is that?

About Me

I am a self proclaimed craft nerd. I love all things crafty and will try just about any of it. Favorite hobbies include carving candles, decorating cakes, and making jewelry. In my free time, I love to play with nail polish! Questions/comments? Feel free to contact me at angalek@gmail.com